John,

Starting tomorrow, more than 40 million people will go without their monthly SNAP allotment. It doesn’t have to be this way.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)―the agency responsible for SNAP―has $5 billion in a contingency reserve it is legally obliged to use to provide SNAP benefits¹, and the Trump administration is refusing to release the funds.² Just this afternoon, a judge ordered the Trump administration to release SNAP’s contingency funds³―but instead of following this ruling, most expect the administration to continue to fight tooth and nail, appealing the court cases and choosing to deny food for hungry children and families rather than negotiate a bipartisan deal to end the shutdown.

While the cost of fully funding SNAP benefits in November is about $8 billion, the USDA has ample resources to transfer enough funds to cover the full cost of benefits. 16 million children, 8 million older adults, and 4 million people with disabilities will be among the millions who will go without enough food⁴. This moment calls for action, and in addition to pressuring Congress⁵ and the administration⁶, it’s up to governors to speak up now.

Send a message to your governor telling them to stand up to the Trump administration and demand the release of SNAP reserve funds.

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey issued the following statement:⁷

“Donald Trump is the only President in the history of the United States to cut off SNAP benefits from the American people. He is forcing millions of people―children, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities―into hunger, raising costs and hurting local farmers and businesses. He is choosing to do this. President Trump needs to reverse this decision and restore SNAP benefits.”

We need other governors to take Gov. Healey’s lead and demand the Trump administration release SNAP funding now.

Some governors are trying to fill the gaps and using state funds to ration SNAP benefits or help local food banks, and service providers are overwhelmed as federal workers miss paychecks.

The Trump administration has shown that it is willing to let vulnerable people go without health care and food. It has refused to call on Congress to extend the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium tax credits that will expire in December, and supported cutting Medicaid and Medicare by more than $1 trillion in the Big Ugly Bill.⁸ That same bill also cut $187 billion from SNAP, the largest cuts to nutrition assistance in history.⁹

And now, the Trump administration is refusing to pay SNAP benefits in November, despite the legal requirement that a contingency reserve be used to cover benefits. While the reserve will not cover the full amount, the rest can be paid by transferring other readily available funds. During the 2018-2019 shutdown in Trump’s first term, SNAP benefits were still paid out. What is happening now is a deliberate and lawless choice to make tens of millions go hungry in an attempt to win political points. It’s cruel and it’s immoral. And it must be stopped.

Send a message to your governor urging them to demand that the USDA release SNAP reserves and other funds now so that November benefits can be paid.

Thank you for all you do,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, CHN Action

¹ The Administration’s Shutdown of SNAP is Obviously Illegal-Updated
² Trump administration says it won't tap emergency funds to pay food aid
³ Court Rules Trump Administration Must Pay SNAP Benefits During Shutdown
⁴ The Trump Administration Can and Should Take Available Steps to Ensure SNAP Participants Get November Food Benefits
⁵ Congress must stand up for families that participate in SNAP
⁶ Tell Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins: Release SNAP reserves for November
⁷ Governor Healey Calls on President Trump to Continue SNAP Benefits
⁸ Medicaid Cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Leave 3 in 10 Young Adults Vulnerable to Losing Health Care Access
⁹ By the Numbers: Harmful Republican Megabill Takes Food Assistance Away From Millions of People